Means for attaching barrel to crossover slide for quick replacement

ABSTRACT

In an automatic gun comprising a drum journaled for rotation around the exterior of the receiver and a barrel disposed for reciprocation therein, a crossover slide is slidingly mounted in a longitudinal slot through the receiver and is slidingly engaged with cam tracks in the drum to convert rotation thereof to translational movement and transmit the translational movement through the receiver. Flanges on the crossover slide are engageable by cooperating flanges on the barrel responsive to rotation thereof to connect the crossover slide to the barrel for translation therewith. A sleeve is slidingly mounted on the barrel and is provided with a lug receivable by a recess in the receiver and longitudinal grooves slidingly engaged with cooperating ribs on the barrel to prevent relative rotation of the barrel and receiver when the lug is located in the recess. The sleeve is blocked against displacement to maintain the lug in the recess by locking collar rotatingly mounted to the receiver by bayonet lug means.

United States Patent Jurkowski et al.

[ 1 June 6, 1972 [72] Inventors: Chester P. Jurkowski, Budd Lake; MitsleW. Kruzel, Flanders, both of NJ.

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Army 22 Filed: Dec. 30, 1969 211 Appl.No.: 889,115

[52] US. CL. ..89/161 [5]] Int. Cl "F4" 17/00 [58] Field Of Search..42/10,ll, 75.2; 39/14, 160, 89/l6l [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 324L448 3/1966 Rocha ..89/l6l Primary Examiner-Benjamin A.Borchelt Assistant Examiner-Stephen C. Bentley Attorney-Harry M.Saragovitz, Edward J. Kelly, Herbert Berl and Albert E. Arnold, Jr.

[ ABSTRACT In an automatic gun comprising a drum joumaled for rotationaround the exterior of the receiver and a barrel disposed forreciprocation therein, a crossover slide is slidingly mounted in alongitudinal slot through the receiver and is slidingly engaged with camtracks in the drum to convert rotation thereof to translational movementand transmit the translational movement through the receiver. Flanges onthe crossover slide are engageable by cooperating flanges on the barrelresponsive to rotation thereof to connect the crossover slide to thebarrel for translation therewith. A sleeve is slidingly mounted on thebarrel and is provided with a lug receivable by a recess in the receiverand longitudinal grooves slidingly engaged with cooperating ribs on thebarrel to prevent relative rotation of the barrel and receiver when thelug is located in the recess. The sleeve is blocked against displacementto maintain the lug in the recess by locking collar rotatingly mountedto the receiver by bayonet lug means.

8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures MEANS FOR A'I'IACHING BARREL TO CROSSOVERSLIDE FOR QUICK REPLACEMENT The invention described herein may bemanufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government forgovernmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION "transmitting the translational movementthrough the receiver to the barrel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Difficulty has been encountered in the designof this weapon as to the means for converting the rotary movement of thedrum to translational movement and transmitting the translationalmovement through the receiver to the barrel because all previous designsrequire a complicated and time consuming procedure for the replacementof the barrel.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide forsuch a weapon having a drum mounted external of the weapons receiver forrotation therearound and a barrel disposed for translationaldisplacement therein means for converting rotation of the drum totranslation of the barrel and at the same time provide for quickreplacement of the barrel without removing any parts of the weapon.

lt is a further object of this invention to provide as means forconverting rotary movement of the drum to translation of the barrel acrossover slide which is slidingly mounted in a longitudinal slotthrough the receiver for engagement with cam tracks in the drum, andwhich is provided with flanges engageable by rotation of the barrel withcooperating flange means on the barrel for connection thereof with thecrossover slide.

It is another object of this invention to provide a sleeve slidinglymounted on the barrel with engaging means for interlocking the barreltothe receiver to prevent rotation of the barrel relative thereto anddisconnection from the crossover slide, and a locking collar rotatinglymounted on the receiver to releasably block displacement of thesleeveand release of the barrel from the receiver.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following specification and the accompanying drawings which are forthe purpose of illustration only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS F IG. 1 is a fragmentary,longitudinally cross-sectioned view taken along the central horizontalplane of an automatic gun at the area of the barrel actuating drum andshows the barrel and crossover slide locked together;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 showingthe locking collar in the locked position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the locking collarrotated 45 to the unlocked position to permit forward displacement ofthe barrel sleeve;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing thebarrel rotated 90 clockwise for removal from the receiver;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing thebarrel sleeve displaced forwardly and the barrel unlocked from thecrossover slide and displaced rearwardly for removal;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the crossover slide;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the barrel; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the locking sleeve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Shown in the figures is anautomatic gun 12 such as is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,241,448 to J.G. Rocha for Cir cuitous Cam Track With Crossovers and Follower DeviceTherefor. Such gun 12 comprises a receiver 14, a barrel 16 disposed inthe receiver for longitudinal reciprocation between a rearward batteryposition and a forward loading position. Displacement of barrel 16 isefi'ected by a drum 18 which encircles receiver 14 and is journaledthereon for rotation by motor means (not shown). Rotation of drum 18,through the cooperation of a crossover slide 20 with cam track 22 in thedrum, is converted to translational movement which is transmittedthrough receiver 14 to barrel 16, as described in the aforementionedpatent. Such crossover slide 20 is mounted,.as hereinafter described, ina closed longitudinal slot 24 which extends through receiver 14 betweena front end 26 and rear end 28. Ends 26 and 28 are spaced sufficientlyto permit longitudinal travel of crossover slide 20 with barrel 16during displacement thereof between the forward and rearward positions.

Crossover slide 20 comprises a body 30 which is essentially ofrectangular configuration, as especially shown in FIG. 7, with a channel32 formed along the inside thereof to conform to the outside surface ofbarrel 16 where the crossover slide makes contact therewith. Extendingfrom the front end of body 30 at the inside edge thereof, as shown inFIGS. 1, 5 and 7, is a front flange 34, and a rear flange 36 extendssimilarly from the rear end. Flanges 34 and 36 are arcuate inconfiguration and the inside surfaces thereof are flush with thechanneled inside surface of body 30 to form extensions thereof. Mountedto each comer of body 30 so as to extend from the sides thereof is aroller bearing 38 which has rolling contact with the respective side ofslot 24 during travel of crossover slide 20 therealong. Extending fromopposite sides of body 30 are pins 40 which, when crossover slide 20 islocated in slot 24 and they are in contact with the outside surface ofreceiver 14, position the slide for assembly to the barrel. A well 42extends into body 30 from the outside surface thereof for rotatinglyreceiving shaft 44 of a blade 46 which has sliding engagement with camtrack 22 as fully explained in the aforementioned patent.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, barrel 16 is provided with an annular rib 50which is undercut from the front side to form a channel 52 and aforwardly extending lip 54, which are both concentric with the axis ofthe barrel. Channel 52 is dimensioned to slidingly receive rear flange36 when barrel 16 is installed forwardly into receiver 14 from the rearend thereof as shown in FIG. 1. Extending from the outside of barrel 16forwardly of rib 50 is a rearwardly extending tongue 68 which isarcuately fon'ned concentric with the axis of the barrel and is spacedfrom the rib so as to extend over front flange 34, when rear flange 36is located in channel 52, to secure crossover slide 20 againstlongitudinal and radial displacement relative to the barrel.

When barrel 16 is rotated so that front flange 34 is located undertongue 68, and rear flange 36 is located in channel 52, the barrel issecured against further rotation in receiver 14 by a locking sleeve 70which is mounted on barrel l6 forwardly of tongue 68 for slidingrelative displacement. Sleeve 70 is retained against rotation relativeto barrel 16 by means of Iongitudinal ribs 72 thereon which areslidingly engaged with cooperating grooves 74 inside of the sleeve. Ribs72 extend sufficiently to assure engagement thereof with grooves 74during reciprocal travel of barrel l6. Extending radially from theoutside of sleeve 70, adjacent the front end thereof, are diametricallyopposed lugs 76 which are receivable by cooperating recesses 78 in thefront end of receiver 14 to secure the sleeve against rotationrespective to receiver 14 so that the sleeve serves as an interlock toprevent rotation between the receiver and barrel l6. Longitudinaldisplacement of sleeve 70, when lugs 76 are located in recesses 78, is

prevented by a locking collar 80 which is journaled on the front end ofreceiver 14 for rotation between a locking and unlocked position. Collar80 is provided with an integral flange 81 at the front end which has abore 83 slightly larger than the outside diameter of sleeve 70 and whichis contactable by lugs 76, when the collar is in the locking position,to block displacement of the lugs from recesses 78, as shown in FIG. 1.Provided on the front end of receiver 14 and inside of locking collar 80are cooperating bayonet lugs 82 and 84, respectively, which, when inengagement, secure the collar to the receiver and so block forwarddisplacement of sleeve 70 and maintain lugs 76 in recesses 78. Bayonetlugs 84 are arranged to be rotated 60 for full engagement and providedin the inside circumference of flange 81 are two clearance holes 86which are alignable with lugs 76 on sleeve 70 when locking collar 80 isrotated 45 from its locking position to the unlocked position, as shownin FIG. 4. Thus, when locking collar 80 is in the unlocked position, itis maintained on receiver 14 through the cooperation of bayonet lugs 82and 84, and sleeve 70 is free to be moved forwardly sufficiently toremove lugs 76 from their cooperating recesses 78. Locking collar '80 isreleasably secured in the locking and unlocked positions through thecooperation of a spring-biased plunger 88 with holes 90 in the collar,as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

OPERATION When gun 12 is ready for operation, barrel 16 is locked toreceiver 14 by means of crossover slide which also assists in convertingrotation of drum 18 to translational movement and directly transmits thetranslational movement to the barrel. Crossover slide 20 is locked tobarrel 16 through the cooperation of front flange 34 on the slide withtongue 68 and of rear flange 36 with lip 54. Barrel 16 is held againstrotation, to maintain crossover slide 20 locked thereto, through lockingsleeve 70 which provides an interlock between the barrel and receiver.Locking collar 80 prevents forward displacement of locking sleeve 70 andremoval of lugs 76 from recesses 78.

To remove barrel 16, plunger 88 is depressed out of the related hole 90,permitting rotation of locking collar 80 to where the plunger is indexedin the other one of the holes so that the collar is located in itsunlocked position with bayonet lugs 82 and 84 retaining the lockingcollar on receiver 14. Clearance holes 86 are thereby aligned with lugs76, which permits forward displacement of sleeve 70 relative to receiver14, as shown in FIG. 6, to where the lugs are free of recesses 78. Thispermits rotation of barrel 16 90 to where tongue 68 is free of frontflange 34, as shown in FIG. 5, whereby barrel 16 is free to be withdrawnrearwardly from the receiver thus freeing rear flange 36 from lip 54.Barrel 16 is reinstalled by reversing the above noted steps.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In an automatic gun comprising a receiver, a drum journaled to theexterior of the receiver for rotation thereon and a barrel disposed fortranslational displacement in said receiver, a crossover slide mountedto the receiver and disposed for engagement with cam tracks in the drumfor converting rotation thereof to translational movement andtransmitting the translational movement through the receiver, meansmounting said crossover slide to the barrel by rotation thereof relativeto said crossover slide, and means for preventing relative rotation ofthe barrel and said crossover slide when interconnected to preventdisconnection thereof.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including a longitudinal closedslot formed through the receiver, and wherein said crossover slideincludes a body essentially rectangular in configuration, a rollerbearing mounted to each corner of said body for rolling contact withrespective sides of said slot, and a channel formed along the side ofsaid body located within the receiver conforming to the outsidecircumference of the barrel for mating contact therebetween.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for releasablyconnecting said crossover slide to the barrel comprises on said body afront flange extending forwardly therefrom, a rear flange extendingrearwardly from said body, an annular rib around the barrel, anannularchannel formed in the front side of said rib for slidablyreceiving said rear flange, a tongue located on the barrel forwardly ofsaid rib and formed to extend rearwardly towards said rib, said tonguebeing arranged to move over said front flange when said rear flange islocated in said channel and the barrel is rotated relative to saidcrossover slide to secure said crossover slide against radial andlongitudinal displacement relative to the barrel.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for preventingrotation of the barrel relative to said crossover slide comprises asleeve slidingly mounted on the barrel forwardly of said tongue, lugmeans on said sleeve receivable by mating recesses in the receiver toprevent rotary displacement of said sleeve relative thereto, rib meansdisposed longitudinally along the exterior of the barrel, grooves formedinside of said sleeve for slidingly receiving said rib means to permitrelative translational displacement of said barrel and said sleeve andprevent relative rotary displacement thereof.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 and including means forreleasably securing said sleeve against translational displacementrelative to the receiver when said sleeve is located to position saidlug means in said mating recesses.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for securingsaid sleeve against translational displacement comprises a lockingcollar journaled on the front end of the receiver for rotation between alocking and an unlocked position, and an integral flange on the frontend of said locking collar provided with a concentric bore having adiameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said sleeve anddisposed concentric thereto, said flange being contactable by said lugmeans when said locking collar is in the locking position to blockdisplacement of said lug means from said mating recesses, clearanceholes in said flange of said locking collar respectively alignable withsaid lug means when said locking collar is in the unlocking position tofree said sleeve for translational displacement and removal of said lugmeans from said mating recesses, and means for releasably retaining saidlocking collar on said receiver.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said means for retainingsaid locking collar on the receiver comprises cooperating bayonet lugsin said locking collar and on said receiver, said bayonet lugs beingarranged for full engagement responsive to approximately 60 rotation ofsaid locking collar elative to said receiver, and rotation of saidlocking collar between the locked and unlocking positions is arranged tobe approximately 45 so that said locking collar is securely held by saidbayonet lugs on the receiver when .in the unlocking position.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 and including springbiasedplunger means arranged for releasably securing said locking collar inthe locked and unlocking positions.

1. In an automatic gun comprising a receiver, a drum journaled to theexterior of the receiver for rotation thereon and a barrel disposed fortranslational displacement in said receiver, a crossover slide mountedto the receiver and disposed for engagement with cam tracks in the drumfor converting rotation thereof to translational movement andtransmitting the translational movement through the receiver, meansmounting said crossover slide to the barrel by rotation thereof relativeto said crossover slide, and means for preventing relative rotation ofthe barrel and said crossover slide when interconnected to preventdisconnection thereof.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 includinga longitudinal closed slot formed through the receiver, and wherein saidcrossover slide includes a body essentially rectangular inconfiguration, a roller bearing mounted to each corner of said body forrolling contact with respective sides of said slot, and a channel formedalong the side of said body located within the receiver conforming tothe outside circumference of the barrel for mating contact therebetween.3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for releasablyconnecting said crossover slide to the barrel comprises on said body afront flange extending forwardly therefrom, a rear flange extendingrearwardly from said body, an annular rib around the barrel, an annularchannel formed in the front side of said rib for slidably receiving saidrear flange, a tongue located on the barrel forwardly of said rib andformed to extend rearwardly towards said rib, said tongue being arrangedto move over said front flange when said rear flange is located in saidchannel and the barrel is rotated relative to said crossover slide tosecure said crossover slide against radial and longitudinal displacementrelative to the barrel.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 whereinsaid means for preventing rotation of the barrel relative to saidcrossover slide comprises a sleeve slidingly mounted on the barrelforwardly of said tongue, lug means on said sleeve receivable by matingrecesses in the receiver to prevent rotary displacement of said sleeverelative thereto, rib means disposed longitudinally along the exteriorof the barrel, grooves formed inside of said sleeve for slidinglyreceiving said rib means to permit relative translational displacementof said barrel and said sleeve and prevent relative rotary displacementthereof.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 4 and including means forreleasably securing said sleeve against translational displacementrelative to the receiver when said sleeve is located to position saidlug means in said mating recesses.
 6. The invention as defined in claim5 wherein said means for securing said sleeve against translationaldisplacement comprises a locking collar journaled on the front end ofthe receiver for rotation between a locking and an unlocked position,and an integral flange on the front end of said locking collar providedwith a concentric bore having a diameter slightly larger than theoutside diameter of said sleeve and disposed concentric thereto, saidflange being contactable by said lug means when said locking collar isin the locking position to block displacement of said lug means fromsaid mating recesses, clearance holes in said flange of said lockingcollar respectively alignable with said lug means when said lockingcollar is in the unlocking position to free said sleeve fortranslational displacement and removal of said lug means from saidmating recesses, and means for releasably retaining said locking collaron said receiver.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein saidmeans for retaining said locking collar on the receiver comprisescooperating bayonet lugs in said locking collar and on said receiver,said bayonet lugs being arranged for full engagement responsive toapproximately 60* rotation of said locking collar elative to saidreceiver, and rotation of said locking collar between the locked andunlocking positions is arranged to be approximately 45* so that saidlocking collar is securely held by said bayonet lugs on the receiverwhen in the unlocking position.
 8. The invention as defined in claim 7and including spring-biased plunger means arranged for releasablysecuring said locking collar in the locked and unlocking positions.